This invention relates generally to bearing washing machines, and more particularly to a bearing washing machine for cleaning or washing disassembled bearing races. Specifically, the washing machine is capable of receiving and processing bearing races on a continuous basis and includes a sequence of washing and blowoff/drying sections or stages through which the bearing races systematically pass.
The present invention is particularly adapted for those situations in which a substantial number of disassembled bearing races of uniform dimension are to be washed and cleaned. In such a situation it is highly desirable to minimize the handling of the individual races and to minimize the amount of attention required by a user of a washing device therefor. One of the critical problems encountered in the prior art of bearing washing machines, and machines for bearing races specifically, has been the inability to continuously process a quantity of bearing races without interruption. More specifically, prior art devices have necessitated placing a limited quantity of races in a washing device which would then be subjected to a washing operation. Such loading and unloading of a washing device necessarily is cumbersome when a user thereof must wait for completion of one "load" before a new load of uncleaned bearings can be cleaned. The above problems have been considered in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 506,311 of Jack P. Elliott filed Sept. 16, 1974 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, in a bearing washing machine described therein for processing, in a continuous manner, assembled inner and outer bearing races of uniform dimension during any one run of the machine. In contrast, the present invention is directed to a continuously operable washing machine adapted to process either inner or outer bearing races in disassembled form and avoid the problems of the prior art.